The Sacred Valley of the Incas tour from Cusco is the full-day trip you can't miss: in a single day you visit the villages, terraces and fortresses that sustained the Inca Empire, with a buffet lunch at a hand-picked restaurant in the valley. It is the perfect warm-up before Machu Picchu and one of the best ways to acclimatize to the altitude.
History and importance of the Sacred Valley
The Sacred Valley, the valley of the Vilcanota-Urubamba River, was the agricultural and spiritual heart of the Inca Empire. Here the Incas perfected terrace farming and used the different altitude levels to grow corn and potatoes. In Chinchero you will meet a village of weavers who keep their ancestral techniques alive. In Moray you will see the circular terraces that worked as an agricultural laboratory, and at the Maras Salt Pans , hundreds of salt pools that local families have worked for centuries. Then you will reach Ollantaytambo, the fortress where the Inca resistance held back the Spanish conquistadors, and finish in Pisac, with its terraces and traditional craft market.
Altitude: the route ranges from 2,792 m (9,160 ft) above sea level in Ollantaytambo to 3,762 m (12,340 ft) in Chinchero (Moray is around 3,500 m / 11,480 ft and the Maras Salt Pans around 3,380 m / 11,090 ft). It is a day of moderate altitude.
Itinerary
Approximate times for the group departure. On the private service the tour adapts to your group's pace, with no fixed return time.
- 06:30 — Hotel pickup and departure to the Sacred Valley.
- 08:30 — Chinchero: Andean village of traditional textiles, Inca terraces and a colonial church.
- 10:00 — Moray: the circular terraces of the Inca agricultural laboratory.
- 11:00 — Maras Salt Pans: the community's terraced salt pools.
- 13:00 — Buffet lunch at the restaurant of the option you chose.
- 14:30 — Ollantaytambo archaeological complex.
- 17:30 — Pisac and its craft market.
- 19:00 — Arrival in Cusco and transfer to your hotel.
What's included
Choose your buffet lunch:
- US$ 35 option: buffet lunch at Tres Mosqueteros or Tikarisun restaurant.
- US$ 47 option: buffet lunch at Don Ángel or Tunupa restaurant.
Group service
- Tourist transport: pickup and transport throughout the tour.
- Professional bilingual guide: explanations at every site in the Sacred Valley.
- Buffet lunch at the restaurant of your chosen option.
- First-aid kit and emergency oxygen throughout the tour.
Private service
- Private transport: exclusive for your group, with a flexible schedule and stops.
- Exclusive professional guide: personalized attention throughout the tour.
- First-aid kit and emergency oxygen.
- Depending on the quote, it may include lunch and the Cusco Tourist Ticket.
What's not included
Group service
- Cusco Tourist Ticket (Boleto Turístico) (entrance to Chinchero, Moray, Ollantaytambo and Pisac).
- Maras Salt Pans entrance: paid on site, directly to the community.
- Tips and personal expenses.
Private service
- Tips and personal expenses (unless quoted otherwise).
*Conditions apply Terms & Conditions.
